Chapter 22

Tennis Trait Unlocked

Power (Tennis) Unlocked

The words flashed across Dan’s eyes as he hit the ball in front of him. Part of him wanted to celebrate…but he couldn’t. Not right now. Because he was too busy trying to drown out the laughter coming from not only Peter, but all around the court. His first attempt to do as Peter had done, ended with the tennis ball flying over the fence and out of the court.

“Alright, on the plus side buddy.” Peter said mid chuckle, “you literally can’t do any worse. Let’s go again, and this time, try and at least keep it in the court, yeah?” Peter tossed another ball towards Dan, barely giving him a chance to return to the ready position.

Dan focused on the ball as it bounced, tried to mimic what Peter had done. Seriously, Peter made it look so easy. But it really wasn’t. Not only was it a matter of getting all of the movements down, but the timing Dan could tell, was imperative. This time, as he was thinking, he didn’t move his foot in time. He panicked as the ball was already bouncing through the air, stepped out, and tried to swing. His weight definitely shifted backwards, but he didn’t have time to drive himself forward at all as he swung wildly at the ball. He hit it, and once again the ball was upwards. This time though, it didn’t fly nearly as far, though it flew extremely high, until gravity, and the small amount of topspin he’d placed on it, brought it back down, just on his side of the net still.

“Yeah…a little too slow there.” His ‘teacher’ said simply. “Notice how you were off balance. Totally takes the power away, though good save. You had decent spin on it too, so…not terrible. And hey,” Peter gave him a thumbs up, “you kept it in the court at least.”

“Ha ha.” Dan said dejectedly. He could still hear snickering around the court, and could feel the eyes of everyone around him. This was not easy. It was also not easy, when he had a freaking judgmental audience.

So, Dan.

“Of course.” Dan muttered as he got himself back into his ready position. Because it wasn’t bad enough, here came Syn.

I mean, I was going to offer you a little help. But I’ll leave if you want. Syn made a clicking sound with his tongue. Just figured I would swing by and help your progress and all. But now I don’t know. You don’t seem to want my help. Have fun swinging for the fences.

Dan growled as he swung at another ball. He connected well this time, but instead of going over the net, the ball went flying right into it.

“Gotta bend your knees a little more, and lift as you swing through the ball. That’s what’s going to drive it over the net, while your top spin is going to bring it back down on their side.” Peter continued with his coaching, grabbing another ball as he did. “For now, don’t try to kill the ball. Work on getting the motion down, and adding in a little power. Too much spice right now is just going to cause problems man. Let’s go for mild salsa today, and ghost peppers later.”

Now I want ghost peppers… Syn’s comment informed Dan that the entity hadn’t left. He was still there, and likely waiting for acknowledgement from Dan. So he silently sent the individual a message, confirming he would like help…if Syn actually could offer it to him.

If you’re going to be snarky about it, I’ll just leave you high and dry. Sheesh, going out of my way to give you a little extra help. You know, most people gifted with powers are a lot more appreciative…Once they get over the whole being killed and brought to another world bit… Or perhaps it’s the fact they are in a brand-new world with brand new everything…and so they are clinging to any help they can get? Either way, I digress.

In the span of Syn’s train of thought, Dan had swung and completely missed the ball. He could feel his frustration rising, and knew he was dangerously close to dropping some traits.

“Syn.” Dan grumbled.

Sorry, sorry. Anyways, did you forget about your ‘Minor Skill Assist’?

Dan managed to stay composed enough that he actually hit the ball correctly. He watched as it soared towards the net, arching upwards. It was going to-

“So close.” Peter said as the ball hit the white, tapped, top part of the net. On impact, it jumped backwards a little, before dropping down on Dan’s side of the court. It really had been close. But Dan was only half paying attention to that. Because his focus was internal, as he sent the immediate question to Syn.

Super easy. We tried to make sure these powers were simple ya know. Awesome powers are pointless if they are needlessly complex or have rare and unique triggering functions. Plain and simple, best way to make powers and skills actionable. All you gotta do, is think in your mind, and activate the skill assist. Then, you just turn it off when you’re done with it. Easy peasy.

Minor Skill Assist Activated. Flashed across Dan’s eyes as he did as Syn said. Immediately the world around him seemed to shimmer ever so slightly, causing him to blink rapidly as he watched Peter toss the next tennis ball to him.

As the ball flew through the air, Dan saw a wide arc of light seem to extend from it, designating in a rather large cone, perhaps five feet at the base, where the ball was going to land. Dan obviously knew where it was going to land…but the fact he could now see the range, was definitely helpful. As the ball bounced, Dan saw a quick flash, showing where he should step, and how his racquet should move. It was almost like those ‘Just Dance’ style games, showing him the moves he needed to do.

He copied the images, and then as he prepared his swing, he saw the motion again appear, tracing the movement he needed to mimic, the path he needed to follow, and the projected area the ball was going to land. Everything, obviously, was at a rather large scale, and he doubted he could trust it fully as it was, but he happened to know exactly where the ball was going to go, thanks to Peter’s amazing tosses. That knowledge, along with the Minor Skill Assist at his disposal, allowed him to trace the movements perfectly. As he connected with the ball, the word Perfect flashed at the point of contact, and the ball flew fast and true over the net, impacting on the other side of the court perhaps three feet away from the baseline. Dan had noticed, on contact, that he’d also seen for a second, the area his ball was going to land, again with a five-foot spread.

“Dude, you did it.” Peter’s voice was both excited, and seemed slightly surprised. “That was really good Danny.” A huge grin appeared on the senior’s face even as he grabbed another ball. “You’ve got so much potential.”

+ 1 Self Esteem (51) +1 Power (Tennis Feature) (1) +1 Top Spin (Tennis Feature) (10)

Racquet Bonus Activated +1 Top Spin (Tennis Feature) (11)

Dan couldn’t help but grin, euphoria rushing over him. Minor Skill Assist felt like it was a lot more helpful than just being minor. Seriously, that had to be cheating. However, from Peter’s reaction, and the cheering and clapping he was hearing from the onlookers, who moments before had been laughing at his progress, he didn’t care. He was going to use these powers to-

The next ball came, and even though Dan copied the movements, his timing was off, and he failed to execute properly. He glared at the ball as if it betrayed him as it landed against the net.

It’s only a Minor Assist right now buddy. Syn’s voice came, unprompted, as Dan was cursing the skill assist. The timing is imperfect, the range rather wide to allow for error. When it gets better, you’ll experience a lot more successes. Plus, your stats are still pretty low. Raise them, and the skill assist will be even more helpful.

Dan prepared a snarky response, but even before he could, Syn cut him off.

Or you know, continue to complain. Then again, that would come across as a bit entitled ya know, considering Peter doesn’t have these skills, nor does Sophia, Ashley, or anyone else for that matter. A little gratitude for your cheat codes would be nice every now and then. Syn clicked his tongue, and Dan could hear laughter coming from wherever Syn was. Now, how about you actually put in some practice, and stop making us look bad. More laughter, both from Syn’s group, whoever they were, and the onlookers, as Dan, in his frustration, sent another ball over the fence.

“Damnit.”

-1 Self Esteem (50)